Automatic pressure changer for gas regulators



Dec. 8, 1953 T. HANSON 2,661,577

AUTOMATIC PRESSURE CHANGER FOR GASREGULATORS Filed July 20, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VE/V TOR Jim x. mm

Dec. s, 1953 Filed Jul 20, 1950 2 SheetsSheet 2 HVVENT K MmM/- WW Patented Dec. 8, 1953 AUTOMATI'GPRESSURE CHANGER; FOR GAS-RE GULAZTORS ThomasA. Hanson, Woodstock,OntarimCanada- Application July 20, 1950, Seri'aliNo; 174,892 7 3- Glaims;

: This. invention relates toan improved automatic loading auxiliary, or pilot, regulator for the: purpose of controlling, and altering at predetermined times, the outlet pressure of a-district gas.- regulator.

Onesuch device is known and is described in British; Patent: No'. 535,655, dated September 13, 1939; and: granted. to Thomas Alec Hanson and Bryan:v Domkinv Company Limited.

Inthis device a cam, operating through a lever, raises or: lowers a wedge between two arms of an, articulated; or twopart, lever, both parts of which have one common pivot, the two arms being-held.- against the wedge: of a-spring. The lever connects with a". valve and with adiaphragm.v The raising of the wedge causes in efiectt a bending of the lever; resulting in an opening of the control valveof the automatic regulatonand a-consequent increase in the outlet pressureiof the districtgas regulator. A number of weights, arranged to be consecutively picked up.-as: thediaphragm of the devicerises, check thedatterfrom rising too far and the valve and the diaphragm thus attainiand retain their correct" relativepositions-throughout the period dur in g: which. the cama is raising the'wedge.

' A further featureofthe deviceis the' use-of seven-daily cams for-med-int'o a helical'unit which arranged to winditself: along its spindle, as it reyolves once daily; by the insertion of a I stationary member within-the formedhelical groove.

Such construction however, embodying as it does: three componentllevers and a. Wedge, all ofwhiohhave" tobe related to the cam contour, is an indirect and comparatively expensive method of attaining the object in View, particularly so since-an unusually powerful clock isnecessary to raise'the wedge, whicl'ihas't'obe weighted against the-thrust" of the spring closed lever arms;

It necessary also to reset the helical cam unit atthe'end of 'a'weekly run, since no resetting means are employed.

Ihave found that a simpler and better construction embodies theuse-ofa single lever which connects; with the valve andwith the diaphragm, andrwhich has its fulcrum movable in conformity with theeontour of the cam face.

A, number, of consecutively picked up: weights, similar: tor-those in the. described and known: device, are employed in my. construction of an automatic pressure changer.

Seven daily cams, assembled as one unit are alse employed; but this" unit is arranged to: be self-resetting, so that, by the use of an electrically driven clock, weekly visits to a district 2 regulator are'unneces'sary, so far the automatic pressure changer is concerned.

A further feature of my invention is theuse of two side by side, and linked; control valves;

, theobjectof'suchfeature-beingto speedup either the building up orthe escape of the loading pressure-in a lowpressureydi'strict regulator; thus obtaining a quicker response of the latter to'pre'ssure fluctuations;

In drawings which illustrate embodiments" of the invention Figure-1- isa front elevation; partly in section, of the device.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the samein which the disc weights shown in Figure 1 are not shown, and in'pwhi'chrth'evalve link bar is shown as being broken and the link bar stanchion is removed. 7

The invention illustrated comprises a diaphragm l upon whichrest'saoone 2 A number of fiat disc weights? are bored as a-block tca wider anglethan that of'the' cone so that they will be picked up one ata' time by the cone as it rises, a small space then being" left between each disc. A lever 4- slid'ablein a slotted guide 5- is connected'tothe cone bya pivot screw6and to one valve 1 by the pivot screw: 8';

A linkbar fi'pivot'ed upon a1 stanchion Hic'onmeets the valve T with aseoond valve H.

Each valve is providedwith a sealing diaphragm, to prevent the escape of'ga's; such'diaphragm-s being, however, not illustratedherein.

Both valve pa'ssages" connect with a common chamber l2; I

A lever fulcrum pin I3," is fixed to the body component M ofacam follower assembly, the body component. being formed with a stem [5 which is: slidablerineguide l5, -anda spring, H keeps the assembly r againstthe cam; Thefulcrum pin l3 serves also asa guide to prevent rotationof the-follower assembly; the pinbeing slidable: in a slot. l8 formed? in: a" clock mounting bracket l9.- r

A cam. unit. 2b comprises-:sevenicams*and:space Washers. mounted;.upon1a drum and clamped toegether by a clamping plate 2 l the unit being rotatably mounted; upon the clock' mounting bracket and being driven by a clock- 22 through a frictionalcoupling zfl-i V A cam follower rol1er' 2I-ismounted-in a saddle shaped carriage'25 provided withatubularistem 26 through which passes aspindlej 21f,

A return" spring'2'8" is fitted'upon thetubular stem 26. V

The roller carriage 25 is provided with a peg reached by the follower roller.

which engages with the thread formed upon a lead screw 29.

An axially situated groove 30 is formed upon the lead screw, connecting the starting point of the thread with the point reached at the end of one revolution of the lead screw.

Th lead screw is rotated one seventh of a revolution during the cam changing period by means of a pin wheel 3| (or alternatively'of a star wheel) which is engaged for a period once daily by a striking peg 32.

7 7 l2, and the other valve allows the escape of gas The daily partial revolution of the lead screw is thus arranged to move the roller carriage sufficiently to bring the follower roller 24 underneath a different cam each day of the week, and

at the end of the seventh day the roller carriage is moved slightly farther along its spindle until the lead screw engagement peg reaches the axial groove when the roller carriage is returned to its starting point by the spring 28.

An auxiliary roller 34, engaging with a rojecting segment 35 formed upon the clamping plate takes over the function of the cam follower roller during the changeover period, the cam edges being relieved so that the follower roller may easily pass underneath the cams.

A pointer 36 is provided for the purpose of timing the device, No. 3 1 shows a cam indent.

The operation of the automatic pressure changer is as follows:

At periods of normal demand for gas the automatic pressure changer operates in the same manner as an ordinary auxiliary or pilot regulator, being only constructionally different from the latter, and the diaphragm of the device is weighted with an ordinary block weight of such value that with the lowest outlet pressure on the schedule operating underneath the diaphragm there is sufiicient force to lift the cone and the to one only of the multiple disc weights.

The remainder of the weights are therefore left in position to govern the device throughout its pressure increase range, as the cone rises.

During the lowest pressure period an unformed part of the edge of the cam is in position against the follower roller.

When a formed part of the cam moves around to the follower roller the follower assembly, carrying the lever fulcrum, moves upwards, open-' ing the valve I.

The outlet pressure is thereby increased until eventually it is sufficient to cause the cone to lift another disc weight. This process continues until the deepest part of the cam indent is The depth of the cam form required to give a pre-determined pressure is related to the distance travelled, by the cone from the point at which it picks up the second weight to the point at which it picks up the last one, and it is also related to the positioning of the lever pivotal points. For instance, if the extensible distance of the weights is one inch, and the distance from the lever fulcrum to the valve pivotal point is one third of the distance from the fulcrum to the cone pivotal point, then the formed depth of the cam required to obtain a pressure increase equal to the full value of the whole of the weights will be slightly more than one quarter inch, the excess over one quarter inch being necessary since the valve is necessarily open slightly more to obtain the higher outlet pressure. r

Referring to the two valve feature of. the

to the outlet main, the differential pressure in the common chamber being used to load the district regulator.

Thus, since one valve opens as the other closes, the differential pressure will be altered to suit the requirements of the district regulator much more quickly than by the use of a single valve and a fixed orifice.

The embodiments of. the invention in which an exclusive property privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

l. A combination comprising a valve to control the pressure of gas in the controlling chamber of a regulator, a valve actuating diaphragm operative by pressure from the outlet side of said regulator, a stack of disc form weights conically bored through the center, a cone, mounted upon the diaphragm, and so'formed as to be able to pick up or set down the disc weights consecutively as pressure under the diaphragm is altered, a lever which links the cone to the valve, and which is ivoted upon a movable member, a cam follower roller mounted upon said member, a spring tending to move said movable member and arranged to keep said follower roller in contact with acam, said cam being of disc form and having formed upon it peripheral indents for the purpose of allowing the movable member to be moved in a valve openingdirection through the medium of the spring when the follower roller enters an indent, and'aclock to rotate the cam.

2. A mechanism as defined in claim 1 in which seven successively selected cams are used, the selector mechanism comprising a drum containing the cams suitably spaced from each other, a carriage arranged to move the cam follower roller from one cam to another, aleadscrew adapted to engage with the carriage, an axially directed slot along the leadscrew connecting the beginning and end of its thread, a pin wheel adapted to turn the leadscrew, and a striking peg mounted upon the cam drum end and adapted to turn the pin wheel one seventh of a revolution per'day. v

3. A mechanism as defined in claim 1' which two valves are used both being connected by a link lever so that one valve closes as the other is opened by the'movement of the diae phragm. r

THOMAS A. HANSON.

References Cited in the file Of this patent UNITEDS'IATES PATENTS 447,996 Great'Britain 0;. 1936 

